I just wanted to get on here and give you all a holly, jolly shout out. I pray that by now you’ve opened your gifts (and are pleased and happy with them) and that you are doing like I am and enjoying time being spent with my family.

Each year, the kids get up at the crack of dawn, we open gifts, my mom makes a huge breakfast, we hang out and then the rest of our family joins us around 3pm for dinner and our family gift exchange.

It’s been a good day. Seeing the smile on my daughters face was worth it. And being able to be up from my surgery and sit around with my family was even better.

So here’s to you and yours! I pray your day has been just as amazing as mine. Continue to enjoy your family, and even if you’re alone, continue to enjoy the time you have to yourself on today. Everyday is a gift, let’s be thankful we all were able to open it today!

So as you know, yesterday I launched my business and made this blog official. Honestly, it didn’t take as well as I wanted it to, but listen didn’t we just discuss about not despising the day of small beginnings? Yeah, so let me go back and read that post and encourage myself….lol

Today, I want to encourage you to invest in yourself. I thought about this as I was preparing my launch and getting things in order. I was so determined to make this happen for myself that when I received my first payment from a contract, I took it and used it to pay for everything I would need to do from purchasing the domain names for my business and my blog, paying to have my business website built, purchasing custom emails for a more professional look and feel and even paying for some programs to be able to have clients request and pay for services. I felt like entering my card number was never ending…lol

But I knew I was worth it. I knew what I was doing was worth it, and I know for a fact that what I have initially invested in myself will reap a ten fold harvest in due season. And so it is with you, you have to be willing to invest in yourself just like you would invest in someone else starting their endeavor. Aren’t you worth it? Don’t you deserve it? I would think so, so do it!

Your assignment for today is to figure out how much it would cost to initially invest in yourself. For me, it was my first $200.00 I made for my business. For you it may be less, but be willing to figure it out. As you know, I am always here to answer any questions you may have and sharing with you which companies I used to invest in myself. You can reach me by texting DailyDose to 22828.

Listen, I am so excited about you and your future! I have a goal in mind that I want to do for beginning entrepreneurs so stay tuned for that information. In the meantime, Be Willing To Invest In Yourself! After all, if you don’t believe in YOU, no one else will. And YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Today is the day! I am so excited! And because you all have been with me since the beginning of all of this, I am givng you a sneak peek and view into my future.

Allow me to introduce you to TheBaileyGrayAgency. Head on over to our website http://www.thebaileygrayagency.com to learn more about who we are. Then be the first to visit our Instagram page, thebaileygrayagency and like our Facebook page located under my name, dioneshaclarke, manages, and click on thebaileygrayagency. Make sure you like the pages, share them, click the contact us button (on FB) and make yourself at home.

Once you’re finished over there, head on over to the new Instagram page for ADailyDoseOfDee and connect with us by doing what the first post says. There’s also a Facebook like page (same instructions as above, just click the dailydoseofdee link) Click the Sign up button to stay connected (if you didnt do what IG said…lol)

But wait! There’s more! But I’ll make that announcement with the person I’m collaborating with on that project.

So, listen, since you all are getting a sneak peek before the lauch, would you please give me your thoughts, views, opinions, and let me know if you see any errors on the pages, emails, anything! I will only have one hour to fix it before it launches live. So I would appreciate your help.

Yay for me! Yay for you! Yay for us! Your assignment for today is to launch out into the deep. Do ONE thing today that will set you in motion for your strong finish. As a matter of fact, email me and let me know what your one thing is going to be. I cant wait to hear from you.

Ya’ll let me tell you how yesterday just wasn’t a good recovery day for me. I mean I can’t even explain the feeling my body had. I could not do anything yesterday, but lay in bed and not move. Now, while my body didn’t want to cooperate, my mind was going a million miles an hour and I couldn’t find the energy or strength to do it. And so I listened to my body and rested yesterday.

But somewhere, late evening, I felt my strength coming back and I sat up, grabbed my laptop and went to work. You see, I’m the type of person who will burn the midnight oil making sure my “to do”list is complete and boy do I have a list to complete. My goal before the end of the year is to have my business up and running and my blog fully functional and that required time, effort, and lots of hours. The ambition I have to finish 2018 strong so I can start 2019 focused on its goal is what keeps me going. As a matter of fact, my goal is to give you all the first look into what’s been brewing behind the scenes for the last few weeks. After all, you have been so supportive reading my blog and following my progress so you will get the first look before I go live.

And so today your assignment is based on this scripture; Hebrews 10:35-36. “So don’t throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to preserve so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”Do you see that? Be confident in what you have started, what you want you start, and what you have been or want to do. Because if you can finish what you’ve started your reward is promised. And that reward can be a new client, an open door for an amazing opportunity, the closing on your home, an answered prayer. Whatever you’ve been focused on and determined to start or complete, I promise you, your hard work is getting ready to pay off.

Today, get your journal or whatever you’ve been doing your assignments on and write in big letters, I WILL FINISH! And then be confident in this very thing! Ambition is not only the new black, Ambition is the new goal. And Ambition+Focus=A Strong Finish!

Ok, so hopefully you took the time to write out the habits you’re going to begin and end. And you have written at least 5 affirmations to get you started with changing your thought patterns about your self and your life. If not, please go and read the blog from yesterday. As a matter of fact, if this is your first time reading my blog, please go back and start from the beginning so you can get caught up on all of the assignments we’ve had to do. I promise you it will be life changing.

So, ok if you’ve made your way from my IG or FB post to this blog, I promised you I would share with you my small beginning that is on its way to being BIG! I recently stepped out on faith and not only started this blog, but also started my business. I didn’t know how I would build my clientele or even start to make an income from it, but I knew it was what I wanted to do and had been putting off for quite some time. I attended this 3-day conference that totally changed my life, and it made me take the first step to just start what seemed small to me, but I knew deep down had the possibility of becoming BIG!

Now, prior to me going to this conference, I had gone to Chicago for my birthday, and had the opportunity to attend Pastor John Hannah’s church. It was during that service and his message that he spoke these words, “It’s your time and your turn” and then as a confirmation to what I was already proclaiming for 2019, he said, “2019 will be the year of open doors”! The way I found a corner of that church and gave God praise…lol

Fast forward to attending the conference (which I suggest for anyone wanting to be an entrepreneur) I sat, I listened, I learned. I completed my assignments, worked at stretching my mind to think beyond where I was to where I wanted to be and after 3 intense days of this conference, I emerged ready to conquer the world. One of the assignments we had to go was a money tree assignment. It was in this assignment that we had to draw a tree with branches, write on each branch the things we wanted to do, and then we were given $100.00 bills to put next to the things we thought we could make our first $100.00 off. That was truly inspiring. And it allowed me focus like a laser on the one business venture I could get an income from.

So, here’s where it gets, as my dad would say, gooder…lol I left from there, launched my agency and waited. I didn’t have to wait long though. I received a call from a high profile person looking for someone who offered the services I did. We talked through the details of what they would need and just like that, I got my first client and my first not $100.00, but $200.00 dollars. But wait, there’s more! I came home, buckled down and began to write the vision for what I wanted for my agency. I wrote the specific amount that I wanted to bring in monthly for my business. I wrote that on a Monday, on Tuesday, I received a call from that same client saying that they wanted and needed to use my agency for some additional services for their company and quoted me the same amount I had just written down the day before! It totally blew my mind because here I was trying to add 4 more clients to accomplish that amount and this ONE client just offered to pay my agency THAT amount! But it doesn’t stop there, my goal now is to still increase my clientele base in order to double my monthly income for my business.

All I am saying is this! No matter what season you are in, it’s never too late. Take it from me. All I could do was believe that what I wanted to do would eventually manifest itself and come to fruition. I stepped out on faith, believed in myself and what I was doing, and took the first step of faith towards my goals. Do me a favor, believe in what you’re trying to do. Little becomes much and starting small will alway turn into something big if you’re willing to do the work to make it happen. Faith in God+Belief in yourself+Work=Results. Your assignment for today is to go back, look at that one thing you have thought about starting, or started and then stopped, or may even be doing at this moment, but it hasn’t gone the way you had hoped and planned and speak life into it. Get into agreement with me that 2019 is the year of open doors! And you know what? Your door is waiting.

The scripture focus for today on IG and FB was Zechariah 4:10, Do not despise the day of small beginnings! Your greater, best, better, big is closer than you think, all you have to do is step out and start.

Ok, so we actually only have 20 days, but you get the point. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. With these last 20 days we have left in 2018 (that seems impossible) your assignment for today is to list the habits, both good and bad that you’re going to take the next 20 days getting rid of and developing.

For me, I am going to get back into the habit of reading my Bible more (don’t judge) and making my prayer life stronger (again, don’t judge) 🤦🏾‍♀️ God and I have an understanding and a relationship only we understand 😂 but He loves me so much that He just keeps working with and loving on me.

I must admit that at some point this year, I just decided that I was going to get my life together. I mean you all seriously have no idea how raggedy my life was. Financially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I can’t say when I had my “AHA” moment, but the day I had it, my life changed and I began to take and make the necessary steps to get on track. Now, you talk about 21 days to develop a new habit? OMG! It was a major shock for me. Financially I had to give up all of my credit cards, debit card, and reward cards, turn over every piece of income I had coming in, and basically had to learn how to budget with whatever I earned from my part time job (which was basically pennies) It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but turning 40 really made me think about my life and where it was versus where I wanted it to be. And so since September, I have cried, I have begged, I have pouted and had major attitudes, but the other day I was allowed to look in my account, and let’s just say I smiled because the sacrifice has definitely paid off.

I also had to change the way I spoke over and into my life. And so I wrote down about 15 affirmations that I began to say every single day. I let go of all of the negative stuff I was holding. The hurt and pain I had suffered, as well as the choices and decisions that had gotten me to where I was. Take it from me, it’s just not worth losing and giving people power by allowing them to occupy space that could be used to build yourself up and grow into the person God has created you to be. I LET IT ALL GO! and began to speak what God and His word said about me over my life. I’m telling you it makes a difference. So now you have another assignment. Write out at least 5 affirmations that you will speak over yourself the next 20 days. One of mine for instance is Im walking in the steps ordered for me, and those steps will lead me to my destiny.

I don’t know why Im all the way left today on this topic today, but I really want you all to understand the power of creating positive habits that will totally change your life. It’s a game changer, and I’m only speaking from what I know for myself! I have so much to share with you all going into 2019! and I am so excited about it I’m about to burst! So you have your assignments for today, right? And we aren’t going to waste another day developing our good habits and getting rid of the old ones, right? Ok, I’m trusting that that’s what you’re going to do. Feel free to email me and share your new habits. I’m so excited to hear about them. My declaration over my life for 2019 is Open Doors and God is already opening some amazing ones for me 🙌🏾

Good morning, family. I know it’s been a couple of days, but I have legit been trying to recover. Everyone seems to understand that except that five year old daughter of mine…lol

Since my surgery, I have done my best, pain and all to get up, help her get ready for school, make breakfast, cheer, gymnastics or whatever else her schedule demands with a smile on my face. Our infamous morning songs and affirmations, and whatever it is she needs in order to keep her life as normal as possible.

Now, don’t get me wrong, my mother has been on it since day one. Doing her best to help me help myself as I attempt to help my child. This morning though, I had to explain to London exactly how I had been feeling. She has recently been responding with somewhat of an attitude when she asks me to do something and her Nonnie replies on my behalf with “I’ll do it”. Her response is, “why do you always say that when I ask my mom to do something for me? She can do it!”

Now anyone who knows my child, knows she has the biggest heart ever. She never wants to see anyone hurt, sad, or down especially her mother….lol. She’s never known me to “be down” because she wakes up motivating and encouraging me and I get up and make it happen, pain and all.

But this morning, I had to tell her that while she looks at mommy has her superwoman who can go and do no matter how I feel, that this time around, mommy was actually down for the count, and that I needed her to cooperate with her Nonnie in helping us help her. Do you know she had the nerve to look at me and say, “but are you doing it?” 😂😂😂 all I could do is look and say, yes, but…she said no buts, you’re fine! 😂😂😂 (and this is why we call her Respusha from Norbit)

And so it is with us. We may find ourselves going and doing not knowing that we may need to step back, take a break, reassess and re-evaluate our lives. We have to be honest enough with ourselves to say, hey, I’m doing too much and I need help or I need to stop and do something for myself . As mothers, fathers, entrepreneurs, employees, or whatever role we find ourselves in we often put ourselves, our feelings, our emotions, our anything on the back burner in order to accommodate and do and be for everyone else….smh

Your assignment for today is to add a “me” day at least once a month into your 2019 goals. Take time for you. Do something for yourself. And don’t allow whomever or whatever your “Respusha” is stop you from doing it.

Yes! this girl (or guy) can, but let’s learn to be honest enough with ourselves and others when we simply just can’t.

I had a very restless night. I’m sure my body is beginning to adjust to the changes that have been made. I haven’t slept a full night, my insomnia is on 100%, my body stays hot and overheated, and all of that extra air they had to put in me is still in me causing the worst discomfort known to man 😂 all in all, I’m managing (and the Percocet is helping me manage it a tab bit easier…lol)

I looked in the mirror this morning and counted all of my scars. Before my hysterectomy, in March of 2017, I walked around for about 2 weeks not really being able to breathe (now to my defense, I have asthma so I assumed it was the weather change, etc) any-who, come to find out, I had a fully collapsed lung 😩 and so into emergency surgery I went. Two days later, another surgery to try and repair my lung. That left me with four scars. As of Tuesday, I gained four more. A total of eight scars in a matter of one years time.

And so it is with life, we go through some hellish stuff that leaves us with scars. Some of us with one, some of us with ten, many of us with more. But I can definitely say 🗣I don’t look like what I’ve been through 🙌🏾 and neither do you! We have survived! We made it! And we have been left here to tell our story! I promise you the enemy knows we have something inside of us that this world needs, which is why he just keeps trying to steal, kill, and destroy, but God says I have come so that you may have LIFE and that more abundantly!

Your assignment for today is to count your scars, but instead of counting them as a sign of defeat, count them like you count your blessings! One by one seeing everything God has done! Today, we embrace our scars, allowing them to remind us that we’re survivors, warriors, conquerors of all things! We count them allowing them to remind us that WE ALWAYS WIN!

Hey y’all! I made it through surgery 🎉 so let me say thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. The prayers of the righteous definitely availed and covered because I ran into some complications last night, but the devil is a liar and in spite of the diagnosis I’m still victorious!

***So this will be a little graphic***

So when I got back to my room, they gave me dinner since I hadn’t eaten since Monday. I proceed to eat my dinner and no sooner than I eat, it comes back up, but it comes back up full of blood 🤨 and I mean 500ML of blood. But my greedy butt kept eating 😂 and ended up throwing up again, this time it was 900ml of blood 🤦🏾‍♀️.

It was a rough night that turned into a even crazier morning as it turns out that I’m bleeding internally from somewhere and my hemoglobin levels are extremely low. The next step would be a blood transfusion. BUT I serve a prayer hearing and a prayer answering God who is a healer, and that is what I’m resting on, but whatever my lot, it’s taught me to say it is indeed well with my soul.

And so, let me encourage you by saying this. No matter what you’re facing, no matter what you’re going through or dealing with let’s remember that we serve a Jehovah. And whatever Jehovah you need Him to be, He’ll be just that; Jehovah Jireh-The Lord will provide. Jehovah Rapha-The Lord that healeth. Jehovah Nissi-The Lord our Banner. Jehovah Shalom-The Lord our peace. Jehovah Ra-ah-The Lord is the Way, my Shepard. Jehovah Tsidkenu-The Lord our righteousness. Jehovah Shammah-The Lord is the light, ever present.

Your assignment for today is to write down and stand on whatever name of God you need in order to make it through and in your situation. He’s everything you need and so much more. For me, today I’m standing on the name Rapha 🙌🏾 and believing He will do it and then some!

Hey there! By the time this blog posts, I will be in surgery. Do me a favor and send a prayer up for me please? I will be down for the next 6 weeks which gives me loads of time to do some things I need to do in order to launch a few things the first of the year. Yay me!!

Anywho, I’m going in today to have a hysterectomy. This has been a long time coming. I have suffered with reproductive issues for as long as I can remember. My cycle has always been wacky, and I have always bled heavy and cramped badly. I have endometriosis, fibroids, cysts, and anything else you could possible have. I have had surgeries, been on every type of birth control, and even had an eptoic pregnancy that caused my left tube to burst and nearly kill me in the process. With that, I lost a child and a tube.

And so today, I’m going in to have it all removed and taken out. My ObGyn and my primary care doctors both asked if I was ok and ready for this. My answer, uh, yes! Im 40, I wont be having anymore kids, and I’d rather menopause early instead of dealing with cramps, bleeding, and outrageous hormones. I know for some women, its not an option. It’s a hard choice for most women to make, especially those who want to have children. I get it. I know women who have had to have it, and not all cases were ones that they accpeted it or understood it.

So as the end of the year is drawing near, let’s remember those who have suffered loss. For me, today, I lose the very thing that makes me a women. That’s a hard pill to swallow, that what is suppose to receive and give life is gone. Your loss may not be my loss, but we have all lost something and so today, whatever that something is, we bury it. We allow it to rest in peace so that we can have closure and peace of our own. We forgive it, we let it go. We no longer allow it to control our lives, invade our space, cloud our minds, or continue to steal our joy. We loved it, but it’s time to let it go.

Today, we speak joy back, peace back, love back. Today, we wipe the tears from our eyes, and no longer cry over the things we can’t go back and change. Today we declare that we will LIVE and NOT DIE! Today, we hold our heads up, plant our feet firmly to the ground, raise our fist in the air and crown ourselves an overcomer! We refuse to be defeated, we refuse to let that thing that has died allow us to carry the weight of it any longer. WE ARE FREE! And we walk in that freedom victrious.

Love yourself enough to Let Go! Leave it, dont look back. For what’s in front of it is better than what you are leaving behind. Im so excited about your future, it’s going to be O-M-G-Uh-Mazing! Your assignment today is to write down what you’re going to leave behind and let go of in 2018. And then write yourself a list of what you are going to look forward to in 2019 🥳

Ok, so I’m sure you’re wondering what all of this Hanukkah talk is about. Allow me enlighten you. Known as the Hanukkah miracle, the story is told that:

A tyrant king from Damascus had ruled over the Jews and forced them to worship Greek gods. Jewish rebels fought for their freedom for three years and, victorious, reclaimed the holy temple in Jerusalem. Now to rededicate the temple, they needed oil to light the menorah but they could only find enough to keep the flames burning for one night. And here’s the miracle: The oil lasted for eight days. In that time, they were able to make more oil and keep the eternal flame lit.

And so it is with us. What have you been fighting to reclaim? What has the enemy, life, situations, etc. taken from you that you need to go and take back? 2018 may have been the hardest, most difficult year for you, but isnt it amazing that we serve the God is restoration?

Trust me! I know what it is like to think you wont be able to make it another day, like you just CANT TAKE ONE MORE THING! Like God just wont let up on throwing you hit after hit, trial after trial, this after that. But let me encourage you on today to go into the enemies camp and take back what belongs to you!

Go tell depression, suicide, anxiety, stress, mental and physical abuse, lack or what it is that has been holding you down and holding you back to GO BACK TO HELL! You have got to fight for what is YOURS and no longer allow yourself to stay in the same place, accepting the same thing and being stuck!

Look at you! That ONE day you thought you wouldnt make it has turned into EIGHT! Look back to the day you said you couldn’t, now turn around and look how far you’ve come! It may be 8 seconds, 8 minutes, 8 hours, 8 days, 8 weeks, 8 months, or even 8 years, but YOU MADE IT! You are a miracle! And baby, they tell me 8 is the number for new beginnings **inserts a good shout right there**

You are more than a conqueror and the Bible tells us that we ALWAYS win! So why stay defeated? The battle is won, the victory belongs to you, and what God has promised you has already come to pass. You just have to go get it!

Your assignment for today is to LIGHT YOUR CANDLE!as a sign of victory over your situation! We are going into 2019 VICTORIOUS with everything that belongs to us!

This will be short and sweet on today because this conference is truly intense and I have to stay focus so I don’t miss a thing!…lol

My Instagram post today focused on holding on to the vision that God gave you in regards to whatever it is for your life. Be it about your business, marriage, life, family, finances, etc. Whatsoever it is, hold fast to it, it’s coming!

Your assingment today is to say this as often as you need to until it holds steadfast and unmovable in your spirit. Ready! Here we go:

My faith goes the distance. Daily, I continue to say what I see until I see what I say. I will say it, say it, say it, until I see it, see it, see it. I recognize that I have faith that moves mountains so I dont trip over rocks! My words have power and life so my success begins with me. I declare that I shall have whatsoever I say!

I’ts 12:24am and I just finished packing for my trip to Atlanta in a few hours to attend an intense training called P3 with Coach Robin Ware. This retreat is designed to Pray, Plan, and Prosper your way into entrepreneurship. For the next three days I will be learning what it takes to build my business, create and generate income, and create a product or service that will launch me into the next level. I’m really excited about this retreat and will definitely let you all in on some of the things I learn.

The quote for today has really struck a cord in me because it basically explains who I am. I’ve never been “regular” and I’ve always been ok with that. Our assignment for today is to write down one unique thing about yourself that sets you apart.What gift, what talent, what skill, what feature, what anything?!And then I want you to embrace it!

What’s amazing is that God created each of us to be different, and while we have role models, and people we want to be like and/or look up to, we each offer something uniquely different from the rest of the world. According to Google, as of 2017, there are 7.53 billion people in the world, yet here you are fearfully, wonderfully, and uniquely made.

I’m finally discovering who I am, embracing the possibilities, and learning to live, love and be free in it. You only have one life to live, live it being YOU, and I mean REALLY YOU!

Today, take the mask off. Look at yourself in the mirror, give yourself a big smile and declare that from this day forward you will can Be Bold.Be Italic, BUT NEVER BE REGULAR! Are you ready? Let’s go! The world is waiting to see the real you.

So what are you waiting for? How long have you been putting off that one thing you’ve been wanting to step out and do? Well today is the day that you start walking towards reaching your goals and moving into your future and destiny.

Isreal Houghton penned a song with these words: “I’m not going back, I’m moving ahead. Here to declare to you my past is over, in you All things are new are made new, surrendered my life to Christ, I’m moving FORWARD!”

Can you imagine what you will be able to accomplish if you would just take the first step? How far would you go if you knew that each step you took, took you to the possible, the imaginable, the very thing you’ve been saying you were going to do? I know for me, I wouldn’t stop until I had EVERYTHING that was promised to me.

What has God shown you? What has He promised you? What have you been believing Him for? And what has stopped you from going after it, believing Him for it, and trusting in His promises and His word? I get it, I mean man do I get it. The last few years have been, well, HELL FOR ME! I mean, have you ever had to endure the hardest days of your life with a smile on your face? I mean, have you ever questioned God as to why you? I mean, seriously, have you ever just been like, WTW (mine was not quite the W though…lol) Honestly, between you and me, I seriously had my days when I questioned and doubted God’s love for me…BUT….then I remember that He never promised it would always be easy. That there would be good days and bad days sometimes, but to never let the bad days change your mind (Oh wait, that was PJ Morton…lol) but you get my point!

God has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you! And as you start your New Beginning and head in the direction towards your New Year, move forward with the rest of Isreal’s song in your mind, “You make all things new, and I will follow you forward!” Our assignment for today is to write down 3-5 fears that are holding you back from moving forward and 1 solution for overcoming each of them. I also want you to begin to search for scriptures or motivational sayings to help encourage you as you continue to move forward.

We may not be like Cardi B, making money moves, but we are definitely on our way to making moves.

Ok, Ok, Ok….So, Im a couple of days late on keeping us motivated, but I guess turning 40 has me discovering I cant do things like I used to….lol #Ineededadaytorecover 🙂

So, have you been completing your assignments? If not, catch up because you’re going to have another one by the end of this post. By now you should have gotten a journal or at least a sheet of paper and have written down the following:

1.) What is the one thing you vow to do in your New Year that will push you to discover who you are? Remember, your New Year is just that, YOUR NEW YEAR! It can begin whenever you decide it should.

2.) Take some time and see yourself in your New Beginning. What does it look like? What do you see yourself doing? What are you accomplishing? Where do you see yourself? The Bible tells us in Habakkuk 2:2 MSG this way, “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. Ok, I’m going to come back to that because that just blessed me!

I’m not going to lie, sometimes it’s impossible to see yourself being past where you are because of what you are dealing with and facing in your meantime. We seriously allow what could be and should be, not be because we cant accept or see ourselves being there. Isn’t the mind an amazing thing? This is why the enemy likes to attack you there first because if he can get you to start thinking, he can get you to start believing whatever it is he’s saying. This is why God gives us in Philippians 4:8 things to think on (that’s another post all by itself)

What are you dreaming about? And how and what are you doing to wake yourself up from dreaming and making it real? All I’m asking for in this next assignment is to write your vision. Once you have it written, submit it to God, find you an accountability partner and make up in your mind to make it happen. Struggling with where or how to begin? Do this, List 5 “purpose driven” things you enjoy doing (paid or for free) and then ask at least 10 people that you know (friends and family) to rank from 1-5 how well they think you ENJOY doing it. That should be a kick start into discovering your passion, motivation, drive, and your future.

I’m looking forward to seeing you in your future and watching how you turn your dream into your reality. All you have to do is take the first step.

To say I had a blast in Chicago for my birthday weekend was an understatement! I woke up Friday, had breakfast with my family and caught a plane to Chicago to meet up with my girls. Now, you wont get too much of the weekend details, but I’ll let you in on a few. Dubbed the 40 & Foine weekend….haaaaaa my friend Tina made up that theme…smh

Friday started with dinner at TAO (if you are ever near one, GO!) the food was amazing, drinks were phenomenal (from what I heard…lol) and the list goes on, it was an amazing experience I wont soon forget. We then headed over to the museum for another party that was taking place where we danced the night away to house music and lots of line dancing. We had a blast!

The weekend continued with food, food, food, fun, shopping, and more food. I stopped and weighed myself Sunday night and I promise you I gained 5 pounds this past weekend. To know me is to know that I love to eat! And my friends made sure I didnt miss a meal…lol

I did have my daughter with me to help me celebrate my weekend and so she kept me on my best behavior, but listen, that baby is like her mother, food, dancing, and drinks (well drinks for me) and we are good to go. Taking her with me was like taking my best friend, we had a blast, at least at the places she could go…lol

All in all, Chicago owes me NOTHING! All I wanted to do was bring in my 40’s with my friends and family and they all made sure that happened the week leading up to my birthday. I have the best circle of friends. The older I’m getting, the more I’m cherishing family and friendship. When you’re able to have both, count it as a blessing and thank God everyday for it.

So this post will NOT be long. Mainly because I’ve been in Chicago all weekend celebrating my 40th birthday with my girls and as soon as I landed I had to hit the ground running and morphing from Queen of the Night to Super Mommy which entailed washing clothes, packing lunch, ironing uniforms, and whatever else this mom life requires of me….lol

So, I know I owe you a post, not only about fulfilling our dreams, but I think I’m going to also let you in on a little of my birthday weekend in Chicago 🙂 #dontjudgeme

So if you will excuse me for today, I promise I will make it up to you all on tomorrow, deal?

Discovering who you are is the most amazing thing that can ever happen to you. What I have always admired about my parents is that they never made us be what the church thought we should be as Preacher Kids, instead, they allowed us to be ourselves and to discover and find out in our own way who we were.

What I have come to love about transitioning from my 20’s into my 30’s and now beginning my 40’s is how much I’ve discovered who I am and I’m excited about how much more I have to discover as I grow older, wiser, and more mature. To know me is to know that 🗣I’m just going to be me! Take it or leave it 🤷🏾‍♀️ every tattoo, piercing, hair style and the list goes on.

I’ve been that person who’s tried to live up to the expectations of what others thought, lost myself trying to please others, tried to fit into a mold that just didn’t quite work for me. And then one day I made up in my mind to just 👏🏾 be 👏🏾 me and it became the most freeing, most satisfying, most gratifying thing I could have ever done for myself.

You know the other thing that happened in my life that made me really start living? Having my daughter 💕 when I say she lives her best life, she lives her best life 😂 she’s taught me how to let go, live life, laugh hard and often and never have a bad day, even when I’m having a bad day! Her laugh is contagious and lights up my whole life! She’s the reason I’m free to really be me in these recent times.

I’m saying all of the above to say this, it’s time out for not discovering and being who you are. It’s time out for allowing what you think others will say or feel about who you’re wanting to become. It’s time out for just being scared of whatever you think is out of the normal and out of the ordinary.

This is your New Year! Think outside of the box. It’s time to live your best life, laugh until you feel better, and love the life that you’re discovering. It’s time to stop fearing and start being free!

Here’s your assignment, what is the one thing you vow to do in your New Year that will push you to discover who you are? Let’s remember that your New Year can start on any day and at any time. Find your voice, find yourself, find whatever it is you’ve lost about yourself over the years and bring it back to life (unless, you know, it was something that should have been lost and needs to stay lost 😂)

“Sometimes you have to take destiny into your own hands” ~Mindy Kaling

What have you promised yourself you would do today that you keep putting off until tomorrow? I think we have all heard the saying that “Time waits for no one” but baaaabbbbyyyy let me be the first to admit that God has been kind to me and has legit stayed back the hand of time and for that I am thankful and grateful 🙌🏾

For years I made excuses, reasons, and whatever else I could come up with to keep putting off what I should have been doing a long time ago. Isn’t it amazing that you can see what everyone else is meant to be doing and you help them get there while ignoring your own purpose? Or having everyone else know your purpose, but you just don’t or can’t see it so you just keep pushing it to the side praying it goes away?

Let me be the first to admit that I am the one who sees what everyone else is capable of, but I have a hard time seeing or accepting it in and for myself. Anyone else? Or y’all are just going to leave me out here alone? Ok, it’s cool. I’ll carry this one on my own but do me a favor and at least silently admit it to yourself…lol

Ok, so now that we have that out of the way, let’s get down to business and figure out how to get ourselves off of the path we’re on and on to the path of our new beginning. Isaiah 43:19 in the Message translation says it this way, Forget about what’s happened, don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new. I mean seriously, what more could you ever ask for?

Transparent moment? I turned 40 yesterday. Honestly, I couldn’t wait because for me it’s an opportunity for me to start a new chapter in my life fresh with blank pages to write, create, and tell a new story. I promise you, you don’t know my story, but the closer we become you will have the opportunity to hear about it as we continue on this journey of new beginnings. It’s Gods will and plan for your life to be able to start over, begin again, and have a fresh start with your own blank page to write your story. I’m grateful for everything I had to go through because it’s made me who I am today, but I’m excited for New Beginnings.

Ok, so are you ready for your assignment? Take some time this week and see yourself in your new beginning. What does it look like? What are you doing? What are you accomplishing? Where do you see yourself? Get a journal or grab a piece of paper and begin to write your new beginning. You have nothing but blank pages to create your story. There’s no limit to what you can dream, think, or imagine.

Let me leave you with this, Job 3:8 confirms it with this, Your future will be brighter by far than your past. I’m looking forward to hearing about and seeing you in your new beginnings.

Cheers to your new beginning, you’re going to be amazing!

~Dee~ 💕

***Oh yeah, I guess I didn’t tell you what my new beginning consist of, huh? Guess you’ll have to check back on the next blog ☺️***

Well, today is that day. I am officially 40!! OMG! I remember thinking how this day seemed so far away when I was 17, graduating high school, going off to college, then joining the military and the list goes on. Silly me my, my, my has time flown. I mean seriously, where did the last 23 years of my life go?

Can I be honest? I have really been struggling since the beginning of this year with turning 40. I wasn’t ready to embrace it at all…smh. I was being really hard on myself questioning what I had done over the last 20 years, comparing my life to those I had met during those years, wondering if I had wasted 20 years of my life because I wasn’t the “success” I had promised myself to be by 40. What had I accomplished? What path had I taken? What choices and decisions had I made and what were the consequences either good or bad that had come from them? I had worked myself into a place of feeling less than, inadequate, and somewhat of a failure.

And then one day it hit me! Girl, please! YOU ARE…and I began to fill in the blank with words about who God said that I was and am and from there my life changed! God really began to work on me and the way I saw myself and my life AND I HAVE NOT LOOKED BACK! Every morning when I wake up, I speak LIFE into myself. I refuse to let my past effect or determine my future and from this day forward, I have promised myself to LIVEmy best life, LOVE myself unconditionally, and LAUGHevery chance I get because starting today at 40 until I take my last breathe are going to be my BEST YEARS YET OF MY LIFE!

So today, as I celebrate myself, Im celebrating YOU because in the words of Bishop Blake, I see you in your future and you look much better than you do right now! Don’t spend another day worried, anxious, depressed, or whatever it is you find yourself being and make up in your mind that TODAY it changes! You have more in front of you than you have behind you. And your best is yet to come!

Welcome to my new blog! This journey has been a long time coming, but I finally stepped out on faith (along with the threats of some) and decided to launch my site, yay me!

So, whenever I want to post longer than Instagram or Facebook will allow me, head on over here and we can finish our thoughts…lol. This is also the place where I can just be ME! While some who may read this already know, the rest of you will find out, I take nothing serious, and I find humor in any and everything so if you’re easily offended, this probably isn’t the blog for you *shrugs*

Ok, so are we ready? In the words of my beloved father, Let’s go to work! Here’s to fun, laughter, and the best of times!